Tuesday, 07 May 2013 Dressage International

Edward Gal – living dressage legend

He makes the most difficult movements look effortless. His hands are always nice and still, his aids hardly visible, his seat elegant and the way he becomes one with his horses virtually unreal. Hardly anyone else has made dressage history as impressively as Dutchman Edward Gal. He is twice world record holder for the highest dressage score, three-time World and twice European Champion, team bronze medallist at the Olympic Games, silver and bronze medallist in the World Cup finals and is regarded as a star rider par excellence.

In his hands the horses always seem to want to work and perform – of their own free will and for him. With the legendary black stallion Totilas that under him became a veritable wonder horse, Edward created a broader public interest in dressage. Up until then it had mainly been a dedicated fan base that had admired the difficult movements in the dressage arena. Suddenly they had worldwide appeal, even among media that had previously consistently ignored equestrian sport.

Edward Gal succeeded in enchanting millions of people all over the world with his performances on stallion Totilas, unleashing incredible dressage hype. This was reflected in the viewing figures for television coverage of the events and the public interest in watching dressage live. Even Totilas became a global star.

With his trainer Nicole Werner and partner Hans Peter Minderhoud, Edward Gal has not only built a team working to the highest degree of perfection but has also always been a thought leader in dressage. His performance in the 2005 World Cup final in Las Vegas will remain unforgettable: for the first time in dressage history he had his famous stallion Lingh dance to the celestial sound of New Age meditation music. Music had always been a part of dressage, but up to that point in time riders had always chosen pieces of a classical nature or hit songs for the freestyle introduced in 1980. The music for Edward Gal and Lingh’s freestyle led to emotional storms of enthusiasm and heralded in a new era in freestyle. 

He has been able to concentrate fully on his motto of “dressage is perfection”, since the Dutchman, Hans Peter Minderhoud and Nicole Werner joined Team GLOCK Netherlands in 2011. Cooperating perfectly and with his exceptional equestrian skills, the team has racked up countless successes including an Olympic medal. 

For about a year now Edward Gal has been caring for GLOCK’s Undercover and has again proved his natural talent: the jet black gelding, which he affectionately calls Frits, does everything for him. The new dream team in the dressage arena has rocketed to fame. People talk of feeling goose bumps – especially since the World Cup freestyle in ’s-Hertogenbosch (NED). It is almost uncanny how quickly Frits not only learned the most difficult movements but also to cope with the excitement at international events: the many colourful flowers, the noise of the audience, the many cameras, long travel and the tension and smells in new places. GLOCK’s Undercover trusts Edward implicitly, shows his commitment, listens for the minimal aids and gives him his whole heart. Edward Gal: the legend lives on.